The Cluff's

This weeks Chaos

2012-01-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so lets get this picture out of the way. I haven't taken my photo much because, hey, who really (Besides my girls) like their picture taken. Especially when you get to this point in the pregnancy. But the girls have LOVED looking back at old photo's when I was pregnant with them so I thought I'd better get a few for baby Cody to see when he gets bigger.

Anyway, there it is....in my comfy clothes and all ;)

In more exciting news....we have two new super-hero's at our house....

The Underwear girls!!!! Who knows where they got this idea,

but Holdyn snuck into her room and came soaring back out with her Dora panties on her head....of course Kimber couldn't resist the excitement and was right behind Holdyn with her Hello Kitty panties wrapped snugly around her head too.

They thought it was Hilarious!

Holdyn also lost her FIRST TOOTH this week! She was SOOOO very excited for the tooth fairy to come! Thanks Grandma Baker for making her Tooth Pillow ;) She loves it!

She had been wiggling it looser and looser over the last couple of weeks and it finally fell out while she was at school.

That's it in news this week, we have an appt. today to check on Baby Cody's progress...hopefully, he will be joining the fam-damily soon!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-14T13:50:00.001-08:00

We definitely had a wonderful Christmas at our house!!!

The girls slept in until a bit after 7am, but by then they were

super excited and ready to see what Santa had left for them!

Holdyn made us this framed poem with her hand prints in school....

it made me a little teary ;)

Ben and I SCORED from Santa!!

Holdyn and Kimber were so fun to watch as they unwrapped and saw each

thing that they had been given!

After opening the presents and getting our morning routine QUICKLY done,

we packed up and went to church. Obviously we were in a hurry and I didn't snap any shots of us....I wish I would have. Hey, at least we made it on time to the meetings ;)

Then we went to Grandma Crazy's for lunch and to see them and the cousins!

Kimber was soo excited to see that she and cousin Shayla had received the

exact same pajamas for Christmas ;)

On Christmas Eve we went to my parent's for a lunch and to read/act out the

story of the Nativity. Above, Holdyn and cousin Andi riding the donkey and Cow from Grandma and Grumpa's decorations out front.

Kyle wasn't as excited as Brooklyn to act their parts of Mary and Joseph.

Annie and Holdyn made some GREAT Angel's!

A couple of the shepherds... Megan and Allie.

Annie and the cutest cow ever....KIMBER.

After the Nativity (which could have been the Best Christmas Pageant Ever)

A few of the cousins did some entertainment...mostly on the piano and singing. Holdyn was so brave and sang Jingle Bells in front of everyone all by herself. She ROCKS!

Here are the girls with Nathan....he is a student I have been able to work closely with and he was so excited to come to our house and give the girls their presents from him. The girls were very excited to see him AND get a present. Thanks Nater-Tater...as Kimber would say.

We enjoyed spending time with both families and are so thankful to know the true meaning of Christmas! It is certainly a special time of year!

Let's take a look back at Halloween

2012-01-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just realized I never published my Halloween post from a couple of months ago....oops! Since I'm going to try to get this year caught up print the blog to a book, I decided it was okay, to slip Halloween in here.

We had a super fun Halloween! These pictures are all out of order too...again I apologize.

Our church had an awesome Trunk-or-treat and our girls had a blast!!

Here the girls are begging Crazy Grandma for more Candy ;)

This is our trunk. Notice Kimber hiding inside with her 'loot' of candy.

She got tired of running around the parking lot and decided to take a break.

She handed out our/her candy to other trick or treaters through the spider web.

She loved it!

Our fun punk rocker/super girl cousins McKenzie, Taylor, and Emma.

Here we are getting ready for the festivities to begin. Our girls were so excited to be matching Ballerina's.

We took the chance to get Kimber's vest done before we went to the church...they were both pretty good sports to have to sit there for her treatment....even though kids were trick or treating at our door.

Here are our pumpkins for this year....always fun carving them ;)

Here is the day they got their costumes...a couple weeks before Halloween...they were

soo excited and wanted to wear them all day!

Halloween was AWESOME!

Here Comes Santa Clause....Here Comes Santa Clause

2011-12-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

Naughty or Nice?

The girls are soo very excited for Santa to come to our house

tomorrow night. They have been working really hard to be on the

good list......most of the time!

We hope Santa makes it to all of your houses too!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Quick trip to Phoenix

2011-12-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

It was time for Kimber's trip to the CF center in Phoenix.

The appt. went great...the Dr's all expressed she is doing great!

Now if we can make it through flu season!

We always go to Bass Pro shop while we are there and this time was no exception.

They had Santaland all set up for the kids and our girls LOVED it!

Especially the Carousel.

Holdyn was especially excited to get the moose ;)

They had crafts, free picts with Santa (That I need to scan because they are super cute)

and games to play! It was a great way to burn off some time and energy before her appointment!

We also had to stop to play in the snow as we drove over the Kaibab. The girls kept

asking us to stop so they could get some to eat after we played.

We also took a little detour...this picture does NOT do our situation justice. We were good and stuck! We slid off the dirt road on a little side detour and luckily, Josh was in the area about an hour later and with some heavy chains, shovels, and man power we got out and hit the road to Phoenix!

We also got there just in time to run by the Mesa Temple to see their Christmas lights.

The girls LOVED it and were so excited to see all of the 'sparkling' lights.

Plus it was nice to walk around and not be too cold looking at Christmas lights!

We had a fun and quick trip and we are super happy that Little Kimber is doing so well

with her CF. Go Kimber!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the update of Thanksgiving Day! Holdyn and Kimber wouldn't leave Grandma Baker alone in the kitchen. They were the "BIGGEST" helpers ever!

Making the DELICIOUS rolls....

and the apple pie!!

Of course we can't have a late night snack of pie without ice cream!

One of the favorite Thanksgiving activities for our kids is to

play with the cousins in the leaves!!!

Holdyn and Courtney loved the trees!

Ben wins the "push as many kids in the swings as fast as you can" award!

Addi, Martha, Brooklyn, Brenda, and Anna

snacking on the cheeseball.

Mason and Kimber couldn't wait until the feast began!

Mason sneaking some cool whip after dinner.

More fun in the leaves...Kimber and Annie...Ready, set....GO!

Taking a quick break and snack before playing more!

Kyle in the leaves!

We, of course, couldn't leave St. George without going to visit the Andrus'

and the Baker's to ride bikes and see Katelyn's new puppies!

After we got home we put up the tree!! The girls had a blast and as soon as we got home they had friends wanting to play with them and help with the decorations.

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T21:00:00.001-08:00

We are so excited to be spending Thanksgiving with the Baker side. Holdyn and Kimber have been anxious all week and asking when we could go to Grandma Baker's for Thanksgiving!

We made it this afternoon and we've been busy preparing ever since! The girls LOVED helping Grandma in their aprons with the home made rolls and pies!!

Above is Holdyn's 'Thanksful Turkey' and

below is Kimber's.

I love this time of year to reflect on what I'm thankful for! One of those

amazing blessings I have is our little Holdyn. She is such an awesome helper and big sister.

She is almost always willing to help with anything...even without being asked. She loves to clean and help daddy with ANYTHING outside. Holdy-locks is very sensitive and aware of other's feelings. She is so good about stopping what she is doing and sitting with Kimber while she does her vest and breathing treatments.

It is no fun for Kimber to have to be pulled away from kids playing, but Holdyn almost always comes along with her so she isn't alone.

I am also thankful for little Kimber and that Kimber's health is currently so great!

She is getting better about doing her 30 minute long treatments morning and night and she takes ALL of her medicines like a champ. She even reminds us to give her her enzymes before

she eats. She is growing like a weed and we are so thankful for her!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVE!!!

Baker Family hits Lake Powell

2011-11-13T12:35:00.001-08:00

Time to catch up again! Awhile ago we met up with some of the Baker side to party at Lake Powell. Grandma and Grandpa Baker had their houseboat and family came in and out to the lake as their schedules allowed. It was super fun, but we were bummed we didn't get to spend as much time with everyone as we wanted. We still enjoyed every minute!

Nothing like soda on the beach.

Here are Brenda and her boys riding on top of the houseboat.

Megan, Holdyn, Courtney, and Kimber enjoying every minute on the boat!

Courtney sayin 'Cheese!'

Holdyn, Jill, and Kimber enjoying the ride on the houseboat!

Captain Mason and co-captain Brooklyn.

Taking showers on the back of the houseboat.

Ready to swim!

Kimber and Holdyn both went down the slide!!

We got to ride grandpa's four-wheelers on the beach.

Holdyn was a fish....she didn't care if anyone else was in the water or not.

Mom and Kimber's dirty feet!

Holdyn paddling out to get some waves.

She seriously LOVED the water!

Playing on the shore by the houseboat.

Ready for a fun ride!

If you were a booger....Luke would pick you ;)

Night fishing....carp, catfish, and sunfish.

Holdyn....literally wanted to be in the water from sunup to sundown.

Kid picture before and after some of the kids had gone.

It was a great get away! There are some pictures from others' I need to track down...Brenda and Grandma Baker....stay tuned for more fun shots!

New House in Fredonia

2011-11-13T11:49:00.001-08:00

As you know, Ben and I were living in a small guest house outside of Ben's parent's home.

It was a one bedroom/bath/kitchen-livingroom area. The girls slept downstairs in the bedroom. Ben and I had our bed upstairs or the "up-ladder" (loft/crawlspace/storage) area since there wasn't any stairs, but rather a ladder. Once you made it to the top of the ladder we had to duck and walk/crawl about 12 feet to get to a small space where we could stand...and that is where our bed was stuffed. It was working and we were super grateful to have a place to stay. But as I am getting more and more pregnant and my nightly trips down the ladder to the bathroom were getting more frequent...our concerns of adding our little one to the mix were growing. I certainly wasn't excited about climbing the ladder multiple times a night when I was 9 months pregnant, and where were we going to put the little one? I didn't want to have to climb the ladder with a new baby....or have to up and down after just having a baby.

We were planning on making it work, and would have done it with gratitude, but when this opportunity presented itself, we knew it was a blessing which we are SUPER grateful for!!!

One of Ben's cousins inherited a house from his grandparents in Fredonia, AZ. He is living about 6 hours North and wasn't sure what to do with the house. He didn't want to leave it vacant, and wasn't super excited about renting it out to strangers. He called Ben one afternoon after being told we lived in the guesthouse in Ben's parents yard. Anyway, he called and asked if we wanted to stay in the house and keep it up. When Ben told me I almost teared up! Another answer to prayer!

However, there was a lot of hard work involved to get the place ready to move into. The house is a 3 Bed/2 Bath home, on a large lot. It was fully furnished and you can use your imagination, but it had 5-6 cats living in it and the young couple who lived in it just before us smoked and did drugs. It was left in quite a mess. We didn't let Kimber or Holdyn come down for awhile....not sure what they might find in the filth! We moved everything out, painted most of the inside, and had the carpets professionally cleaned. We also had some help from the awesome Andrus family on putting tile down in the bathrooms (Yucky carpet in the bathrooms before) and helping clean out the kitchen cupboards. We owe them big. Ben and I did the painting and scrubbing of walls/curtains/etc. It was TONS of work but it was a good project to do together! Plus, it has been well worth it! I wish I would have taken some before and after pictures, I'm a slacker... but here is a shot of the front of the house.

We've been having so much fun working together as a family....yesterday we did the yard work. The girls are so excited to be able to rake the leaves and jump in the piles. They are also happy to have room inside to run and play!

One of our favorite features in the whole house is the master bathtub. The girls LOVE to take their baths in here because the water comes up to their shoulders and they can turn on the bubbles! So FUN!

We're havin Rabbit for dinner!!

2011-10-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

Whitni's Funeral

2011-09-11T17:20:00.001-07:00

Whitni's funeral was yesterday.....it was a tearjerker for me. A group of friends was able to sing the opening song, "I need Thee Every Hour." I was pretty sure I'd cry through most of it, and I was right. I made the mistake of looking down at Jared and Laurie (Whitni's husband and mom) right before and I couldn't sing until the last verse, and even then it was on and off. Luckily everyone else could and did beautifully!! Her sweet husband Jared, and his parents, all of her brothers and her parents all spoke of memories of Whitni. We were laughing and crying throughout the rest of the program. The hardest part for me was when they played a slideshow of Whitni's life and her mother read her testimony in the background. It took all of my strength to not start weeping aloud. Luckily, I kept my sobs to a minimum noise level. It really was a beautiful service in honor of a beautiful woman!

Here is some of the amazing display of her life. She really did accomplish so much in her 30 short years.

Here's to you Whit! Diet Coke all around!

Here is a group of us with Whit at the cemetery.

It was especially hard for me to watch Jared during and after the services.

I could see the emotions in him and I remember feeling most of them,

it is really indescribable pain to lose a spouse so young.

Here are the pallbearers. It was one amazing group of men....her

husband, father, brothers, and friends.

I looked awful by this point.... lots of tears will do that to you. Anyway, we gave Whitni Red roses, because when we were in High School we took the color personality test and Whitni was a solid Red. She was labeled the 'red' of the group from then on. We love you Whitni! We will truly miss you but we hope your legacy of love will live on through us!

Working on the casket

2011-09-07T21:05:00.001-07:00

A few months ago Whitni had asked Ben if he would be willing to build her casket. She just wanted something simple. Ben had agreed and we put it in the back of our minds...hoping we wouldn't have to work on it for a loooong time. About three weeks ago now, Whitni called and said she thought it was time to start working on the casket. So, of course we put it off until last Friday night. We weren't sure about the interior. Originally, Whitni had said she and her mom could work on it.... well, as the days went on we knew that wasn't an option...so we called the girls together and decided we could do it ourselves. It turned out being a very worthwhile and therapeutic process for us all!

L to R Andee, Ben, Jill, Jared (Whitni's husband), Kate, Kandice and Dave.

It just isn't the same without her.

Andee showing off the inside...looks simple and soft and cozy for Whitters' final resting place.

We were so glad Jared was able to come and help!

Whit passed on Sunday evening and we finished up all day Monday.

Jared was there to give his approval and input.

I think Whitni would have loved it!

Jared and Ben securing the interior.

Jill, Andee, Jared, and Allie..... Jared always slips in the funny faces when you least expect it.

Good ironing Allie!

Andee, Jared, and Jill. Soooo very glad we can all bring our different experiences together and support eachother...through anything! I truly am so very blessed with amazing friends. We've all been through so much during and since High School. We have always stood by each other when one was going through the challenges. I couldn't ask for better friends!

Here is Ben finishing the inside of the casket.

Put the super industrial-strength hot glue gun down Andee!

That face scares me.

We were so blessed to be a part of this experience. We are deeply saddened by the loss

of our dear friend, Whitni. Here is a poem a friend shared, that I loved.

I am standing on the seashore, a ship spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and states for the ocean. I stand watching her until she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says, she is gone. Gone where? The loss of sight is in me, not in her. Just at that moment when someone says 'she is gone' there are others who are watching her coming. Other voices take up the glad shout, 'Here she comes' and that is dying
Henry Scott Holland

I am so thankful to know that our loved ones who have passed before us were there to greet Whitni! One of her concerns was that she wouldn't know anyone when she passed. Nobody really close to her has died. We reminded her of Charlton, and her baby that was miscarried. I know they were both there to greet her and welcome her back to her heavenly home! I'm know the Lord will tell her, "Well Done thou good and faithful servant." She was an example of goodness to the end! We love you Whitni!!

Whitni's Obituary

2011-09-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

After her battle with cancer, Whitni Nisson Reese passed away on September 4, 2011. Whitni was born June 11, 1981, in St. George, Utah, to Bruce and Laurie Christensen Nisson. She was the only daughter among 5 brothers.

Whitni enjoyed her childhood growing up in Washington, Utah. She attended Washington Elementary, Pine View Middle School and graduated from Pine View High School. Whitni excelled academically and musically during those years. It was also during this time when she started to establish a group of friends who remain close even to this day. She also gained a strong testimony of the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Whitni went on to graduate from Dixie State College and attend massage therapy school, becoming a nationally certified Massage Therapist. She then served in the Zurich, Switzerland Mission where she learned to speak the German language fluently. Upon her return, she delayed her schooling to assist her brother, Blake, in his rehabilitation after a serious accident. This experience helped to direct her interests toward physical therapy and she pursued this career at BYU. However, she became more interested in nutrition and as a result attended Utah State University to complete her B.S. Degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude, in Food and Nutrition, becoming a Certified Registered Dietitian

Shortly after graduation, Whitni married Jared R. Reese on May 16, 2009, in the St. George LDS Temple. Jared’s employment took them to Roswell, NM, where Whitni became employed at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center as a Registered Dietician. During this time Whitni enriched the lives of many by serving as a Ward Missionary and early morning Seminary Teacher for her church.

Whitni loved to learn, travel and serve in the Church. She had a great appreciation of the Gospel, life, family, friends, music, nutrition and science.

Whitni is survived by her spouse, Jared R. Reese of Roswell, NM; father, and mother, Bruce B. and Laurie Nisson; brothers, Neils Nisson (Holly), Nickolas Nisson, Kael Nisson, Blake Nisson (Missionary in Washington D.C. North) and Breyden “Gump” Nisson, all of Washington, UT.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at the Washington Stake Center, 446 Mangum Rd., Washington, UT. Whitni elected not to have a viewing, but an open house will be held on Friday, September 9, 2011, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the same location. Interment will take place in the Washington City Cemetery.

The family requests in lieu of flowers that monetary remembrances be made at any Mountain America Credit Union under Whitni Nisson Reese.

Whitni and family wish to thank Dr. Derrick Haslem and staff, Dr. Edgard Badine and staff, and Southern Utah Hospice for their special care and concern during her illness.

Whitness the Greatness

2011-09-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

The world stood still for a moment Sunday evening on September 4, 2011, as one of my dearest friends Whitni Brooke Nisson Reese took her last breath in this life. She lost her courageous fight with a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer. I will never be able to explain or express the footprints she left in my life. What an awesome girl! I met Whitni In Kindergarten.....25 years ago. Our dads both worked at Post Offices....we were destined to be friends. She always said she pretended to like MacGyver...(but really had no clue who he even was) ...because I was obsessed with him when we were young and she wanted to be cool like me. I had her fooled! I was a total nerd!

We have so many wonderful memories with her! She came to the island of St. Maarten when we were living there for a couple of weeks. We loved and laughed almost every minute!

She came to 'Le Chalet...an authentic fondu restaurant on the island....we had to go there because she had served her mission in Switzerland and it reminded her of that time.

Whitni told us this very day (in the pic above) that they had found a mass and they were checking it for cancer. It seemed so unrealistic that we didn't really worry at that point.

A few short weeks later she had started chemo aggressively and soon lost her hair, but she was still one of the most beautiful girls I will ever know. While she was still feeling well enough, we tried to do as many things as we could. She wanted a trip to pine valley...like the old days...so we made it happen. We sat on the porch swing/hammock and talked about how life is so unpredictable. We took a fishing trip to the reservoir....just loving each moment we had with her.

We were able to go fishing at Lake Powell for a day....no fish were caught, but we were with Whitni...and called it a successful day.

Had PJ parties and got pedicures.....still just talking and laughing, and crying about life.

She always helped us keep things in perspective...even before her fight with cancer began.

There was an awesome benefit concert set up in her behalf. Wouldn't have missed it for the world!! Below we are with the performer...Jessie Funk...what an awesome lady!

We had a VERY special night with Hillary Weeks.... what a beautiful woman with so much talent and spirit to share!!

I was so thankful to spend some of Whitni's last few days on this earth with her. On Thursday, last week, she only had one request...she wanted to get outside and see the sun. Katie, Andee and I with the help of another dear family friend Karen. Got her in the wheelchair and out of the house and pushed her around the church next to her home. It was her last time outside. I wouldn't have missed it for the world! I saw my friends in the most celestial light possible those last few days and hours as we worked together to take care of sweet Whitni, rubbing her feet and arms and head, holding her hand, giving her a pedicure, laughing at old times and lots of crying. Whitni was sharp clear up to the end, even though she could barely speak, she was still taking control of the situation and making sure everyone was getting the job done. She went peacefully Sunday night. Jared was with us working on the casket at my parents house when the call came for him to come home...she was ready to 'go home.' He called us shortly after and invited us over to tell her out last goodbye's. She looked so peaceful and calm compared to the days and hours prior. We were so blessed to be a part of this wonderful experience. Whitni, you are deeply missed and I would say rest in peace, but I know it drives you crazy to sit still....I'm sure you are ecstatic to not have your cancerfilled body to slow you down. Go get em up there in heaven! Can't wait to see you again! Tell Charlton I say hello and now I'm expecting you both to watch out for my family!! (After you focus on Jared and your family of course :) Love you Whitters!!!

Baby Cody is on the way!!

2011-09-06T13:29:00.001-07:00

Well, the pants are getting tighter and the stomach continues to churn...oh and I'm ALWAYS hungry.... I'm 18 weeks pregnant and super excited to finally get our little boy! I've been wanting to blog and document this for a long time so I'm sure I'm going to forget many things I wanted to share. Anyway, Ben and I were very nervous and scared to have another child join our family. I'd always felt there was another kid in our future...however, after having Kimber diagnosed with the genetic disease of Cystic Fibrosis...we were more hesitant. We wouldn't trade Kimber for the world and we cherish every moment we have with her. However, the disease is a very expensive and exhausting one to maintain health. I know of families who have two and even three kids with CF and I didn't know if I would be emotionally and physically strong enough to handle it. Anyway, we had somewhat convinced ourselves that we were done with our two girls. One day when we were talking about it, we went to the temple and decided to do some thinking and praying about the situation. Both Ben and I had the impression we had another baby that we needed to join our family. It was a terrifying feeling, but we both felt good and knew it was the right thing to do. After we found out we were expecting, we were still terrified. We had the amniocentesis as soon as we could and got the results last week that our little one is a BOY and that he does not have CF, but he is a carrier of the gene. We were so grateful. We are still awaiting some other results from the amnio...but we are so thankful things are looking good. I am due February 6th and we are planning on naming him Cody. We don't have a middle name for sure picked yet, we have some options, but that will come soon. We feel very blessed and the girls are super excited to have a baby brother!!!

Kimber's first day of Pre-School

2011-09-06T13:21:00.001-07:00

She could hardly sleep the night before the first day of Crazy Grandma's Pre-school. She is totally jealous that Holdyn gets to go to the 'BIG school' and ride the bus. Kimber also loves to be involved with Holdyn's homework....it is actually kind of annoying how smart this girl is and how she can remember details from long ago.

Kimber wanted to color a picture for her 'teacher' on the first day. She was also thrilled to be the one to take snacks...she chose pudding. She is such a fun gal to have around.....she is always hugging my tummy and talking to 'baby Cody' She is going to be a great and bossy big sister :)

She loves going to school and can't stand that she only gets to go 2 days a week!

We love you little Kimber :)

Holdyn starts KINDERGARTEN!!!

2011-08-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Holdyn started Kindergarten this past week and so far she LOVES school! She has Mrs. Busener as a teacher and she loves her too! The week before school started they decided to split the Kindergarten into two different classes. All of her cousins and friends from Preschool ended up in the other class...... so she started off on her own. She immediately found a friend from church, River, and another friend from her T-ball team, Roxy. They also decided to start all-day Kindergarten this year so she is there from 8am-3pm! After her first day her exact words were, "Mom! That was a LOOOOONG day at school!"

She is soo excited to be at the 'big kid' school! We love you Holdyn!

A Week of fun-filled Camping

2011-08-09T21:00:00.001-07:00

We had a great week camping up on Beaver Mountain. We Love it up there!!!

The girls LOVED riding the 4 wheelers with Grandpa and Grandma!

We got some fishin time in!

Holdyn made a great horse and pulled Kimber around camp with the rope tied

around her waist.

Kimber and Payton played under the tables for about 3 hours. They went under there when we were doing crafts and didn't come out until dinner was ready on the tables.

The girls took advantage of every situation to take off their shoes and get wet in the water!

Took some drives and saw some beautiful country!

We are so happy to have a trailer and a generator so Kimber can get all of her treatments done while we are camping!! Also she loves Grandma to help and play with her during the treatments.

Holdyn also loved playing with Corbin.

Kimber and Payton during the crafts.

Ben worked his magic in the camp kitchen.

We had a great time spotlighting for deer and cramming the kids in the back of the truck.

We took turns making dinner and one night we got to sneak down to Brad and Katrine's cabin and took showers and ate some great grub.

One of the girls favorite things of the whole trip was to search for wild strawberries. We found a few different patches and the girls loved picking and eating them.

We went for a drive during some rain and Holdyn didn't know the splaters of mud weren't raindrops :)

Kimber was an awesome hunter out the window as we drove up the canyon. She got every deer with her wooden rifle....I'm sure of it.

Happy Pioneer Day!

2011-07-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

We had a SUPER great time celebrating Pioneer day in Kanab. Since I am in the primary presidency we were in charge of getting our parade entry all put together. It turned out awesome!!!! Here is the temple Ben, Holdyn, and I made for our ward.

Holdyn was super excited we let her stay up after Kimber went to bed to help paint

the windows. She felt super special ;)

We also were able to borrow two handcarts from a family in Washington...they worked

out great for the little kids to ride in.

Holdyn and Kimber loved being by the temple and in the handcart.

Holdyn was a little upset that she had to wear a dress and the boys got to

be cowboys....she didn't get why pioneer girls had to wear dresses.

Here is a picture of some of our crew....we had a minihorse and wagon in front,

then the two handcarts, then another horse and wagon in the rear. We had an AWESOME turnout and everyone had a great time!

Kimber had a great wave....I think she is practicing for the parades when she is Miss Utah.

Pioneer Kimber and Holdyn.

After the parade uncle Karl let lots of kids have little Pony rides on Trigger.

Ben was also asked to be in charge of the nail pounding booth.

The kids of all ages LOVED it!

Over all it was a fun day and as we remembered our pioneer ancestors!!

Holdyn is the BIG 5 Year Old!!!!

2011-07-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

We can't believe our Holdyn is 5!!! She is so excited to be a big girl and be getting ready to go to the Big girl school...... Watch out Fredonia Elementary she is on her way!!!

Her birthday started as any good birthday should...with her favorite breakfast of champions...

GLAZED DONUTS!! She was so excited!!

We made a quick trip to some fishing ponds and it was so hot that we didn't stay long, but we did catch one on our way out.

Ben was more excited than Holdyn to get her BB gun...but she sure is having fun with it!

Brad and Katrine were nice enough to let us crash their house

for the afternoon to have a swim party!

A party for Holdyn wouldn't be complete without

Corndogs, watermelon, cheetos, sherbet, and cupcakes :)

All of her favorites!

Cute Saidee came and we had a blast with her!

Thanks for the Cinderella Saidee!!!

We had lots of fun with cousins too!

To top the day off we went to Red Robin with Grandma and Grumpa B.

The girls got balloons and they came and sang to Holdyn

She LOVED it!

Thanks For the YUMMY dinner!!!

Grumpa had to load his 4 wheeler so he took the girls for a few rides around the yard.

They were in heaven!!

Grandma and Kimber on the rope swing!

A little sprinkler before dark never hurt anyone :)

We finished off the night with some saweet sparkler fun

for the birthday girl!

Happy 5th Birthday to our sweet Holdy-locks!!!

The cake was custom made by yours truly...Holdyn wanted her name on it

and a heart made of M&M's. She was so excited.

Happy Birthday Holdyn!

Random Fun

2011-07-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

We were able to go stay in Page, AZ for a couple of days while Ben did some trim work and other odds and ends on his sister's house for some extra money. The girls LOVE their cousins Nolan and Dylan and had a blast with them the entire few days were there!

They played outside in the sprinklers and with the play cars.

The girls LOVE to plant seeds and watch them grow. They help with Grandpa Crazy's garden and love to watch the veggies and Melons grow and they are currently keeping busy helping dad trap and 'exterminate' the squirrels and other rugrats that are eating up some of the garden.

Anyway, they planted their own little flower plants and are having fun watching them grow.

Here are the cutsie girls cuddling on the couch before bed.

Below, they are helping me make dinner. They LOVE to help and often times

they like to help a little too much!

To keep cool we've been making trips up to the Kanab city park.

The girls love the splash pad and running around like crazy!

The backdrop for the park sure is purdy too.

4th of July 2011

2011-07-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

We had a super great 4th of July in Kanab!

We went to the parade first thing and enjoyed the patriotism being displayed there! We are sure grateful for those who sacrifice to serve our country and preserve our freedoms. Living out of the country and having a retired Navy Chaplain as a father in law has helped us have more respect for our nation and those who serve it!

We parked at the perfect spot and sat in the back of the truck to watch the awesome firework display! It was awesome to see the red rocks in the background as the fireworks lit up the area!

Here is Holdyn riding with Emmie in Uncle Karl's lil wagon being pulled by Trigger!

Another shot of Uncle Karl's two lil wagons with the lil horses pulling them along.

Getting ready for the Parade to start. Kimber was giving back rubs :)

Hooray for the 4th of July!!!!

Friends and family at Da Cabin

2011-07-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Andee and Lars invited us up to spend a weekend at the cabin in Pine Valley a few weeks ago. We love them and their awesome kids! We had a blast and it is always nice when your kids are entertained with other kids! Here are Kruz, Kimber, Emmie, and Holdyn enjoying some brownies and ice cream on the deck.

All the kids but little Shelbee and baby Carter in the Hammock.

Holdyn, Tank, Gunner, Emmie, Saidee, McKabe, Kruz, and Kimber!

Andee brought fun stuff to paint rocks for rock-pets.

The kids all LOVED making them.

Tank holding new baby Carter!

Kandice and Carter.

Kimber was super proud of her pink sparkly rock!

Saidee got just a tad of blue on her chin :)

We left Tank alone too long with the duct tape....took Andee awhile to cut it all off..his feet were turning purple by the end.

The kids love playing under the cabin in the dirt.

It was nice enough to run on the slip-n-slide and get wet in the sprinklers!

We had an awesome time! Thanks guys!

Cluff family Temple weekend!

2011-06-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend with the Cluff family! All of the 8 kids in Ben's family were in St. George for the weekend to do the temple work for his grandparents and some other relatives. It was a really neat experience. Again, I wasn't great with the camera, but I did get a few shots at my parent's house of the kids :)

We stayed the night there with Josh and Tiff's family. My parents were gracious enough to let us crash there and use their house while they were away camping.

Holdyn had a fight with the mud and I think the mud won!

Here are a few of the kids eating in the backyard with Aunt Aimee.

We played in the water and on the slip'n'slide and had a BLAST!

(Yes, I finally updated the blog....our niece Bronwen inspired me to get going and get caught up)

Happy Birthday Kimber!!!

2011-06-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the birthday girl first thing in the morning on her big day!

We went to Grandma and Grandpa Baker's house and had a wild and crazy party!

We had one of her favorite meals...... hot dogs and cheeto's!

Grumpa was irrigating so we had a killer water fight with lots of cousins!

Holdyn and Adri.....can't keep them apart when our families are together!

Grumpa even got drenched with water!

Kimber loved all of her presents!!

The day after her birthday we had to head to Phoenix for her appointment

with the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic. We got to stay at Glen and Laurel's and they

(as always) took great care of us on our quick trip.

On the way back we stopped at the bridge over Lee's Ferry and let the girls get

out and stretch after the loooong drive!

She is doing great and is now a super 3 year old! We are so thankful to have her in our family! She keeps us on our toes and she is super great at doing her daily treatments and medications! We LOVE you Kimber Anne!!!

Brielle and Bristol Visit Fredonia!

2011-06-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

We got to watch Brielle and Bristol for a few days and we had a blast! Holdyn and Kimber keep saying they want them to come back to our house! They talk about them every day!

I didn't get as many pictures as I should have but here are a few at the Kanab

city park. We had a blast up there!

Thanks for coming girls! You will have to come again soon!!!!

Fun with the Baker kids!

2011-06-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

We were able to go and watch Brad and Katrine's kids for a little over a week. Brad and Katrine went to Hawaii, and we partied it up at the Baker house :)

Whelp, you know it was a good week when the kids are tuckered out!!

Holdyn is right at home with her pink fishing pole :)

Avrie strutting her stuff!

Ben spent his time fixing the lines for all of the poles :)

Kid group shot just before fishing!

Picnic at Pine Valley!

Girls day at the park!

Having fun on the spinny toys!

We went to the 'spinny park!'

Kimber could NOT get enough of the pool!

Everyone jump on three!!

Holdyn LOVED watering the flowers in the backyard.

Ben took the boys to Fredonia and made the horseshoe flower on the right,

Katelyn painted it and it turned out awesome!

Doing some stunts!

Kimber loved being buried in the sand too!

Mason LOVED the sand....check out his eyelashes.

Tyler in his hole.

Kyle and Brooklyn made huge holes and connected them...then climbed in.

We had loads of fun burying each other!

Nope it's not chocolate!

Megan and Annie having fun at the Sand dunes!

More fun in the pool with Courtney, Holdyn, Ben and Kimber!

Annie striking a pose.

Thumbs up for an awesome week!

The End of our St. Maarten Vacation

2011-06-26T20:00:00.001-07:00

These pictures are all out of order but I had to get them all up :) This first one is us with our good friends Rinaldo and Elizabeth Kasawanajojo. He is the Branch President on the island and we just love them both! They were married while we lived there for school and were really great friends to us! They came by the Hotel to say good-bye the night before we left.

This sight brought tears to my eyes! Ben and I had an

awesome time together, but we really missed the girls and I

cried my eyes out when we saw them!

Thanks to Jason and Heidi for bringing them to the airport to greet us!

Also, thanks to Brenda and Joel, and Grandma and Grandpa Baker for watching

them while we were away!

We are on the plane home!

Sunset beach Bar was our last dinner with friends on the island.

We frequented the infamous Pizza Dan's while we were there and really miss and crave his amazing pizza!!! YUM YUM!!

Had to hit the shopping on Front Street and Rima's before heading home.

We went on an around the island cruise with a group of our friends that were there for graduation. It was awesome! We stopped a few times to swim and snorkel. We also stopped at Pinel island for lunch at a beach bar. It was an awesome day!!!

The fun continues on SXM

2011-05-29T17:47:00.001-07:00

Okay, these pictures are all over the place. I'll do my best to explain them :) We've had a great fun couple of days and cannot believe the week is already over halfway through. We made navajo taco's for about 40 people tonight and they were a big hit! Prices have sky rocketed on the island so we were happy to all chip in and eat in. Candace, Richie, Ben, and I were the chefs :)

Here are a couple pictures of the hotel pool. You can see the ocean in the background...you can go from the pool to the ocean in about 10 steps. It is super awesome!

Above, Ben and I are cooking the beans and preparing the scone dough...YUMMY!

Today we also had an awesome day with the Philipsburg Branch. Above is sister Lorraine and myself, Below is our island grandmothers Sister Handley, Sister Busby, and Sister Bell (She is the one who came to the hospital and helped us deliver Kimber.

Last night We went to the graduation party at the club Bliss....it was loud and lots of drinking so we weren't there long, but we did have a fun time!

Before the club party we went to Bahatzu's for dinner.

It was great and we had an "island moment"

when the power went out, we finished and left before it came back on.

Dr. Cluff's Graduation!!!

2011-05-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Whelp, he did it!! Graduation was today and it was AWESOME!

We are so proud of Ben!! Not only was he an awesome Medical student,

Ben was able to balance being an amazing husband and father as well!

We LOVE you BEN/DADDY!!!!

Congratulations Dr. Benjamin Joseph Cluff M.D.

Dr. Van Der Waag came through the crowd to congratulate Ben.

He was one great guy and teacher at AUC.

I think I earned the right to wear the graduation cap as well :)

Dr. Cluff just after the graduation ceremony.

Some of the graduates in Ben's Class....we have a GREAT group of friends from all

over the globe. We couldn't have survived island life and Med-school without you all!

Candace showing some of the after graduation snacks :)

Jill, Dr. Cluff, Candace, Dr. Riches

Ben receiving his diploma from the Dr's and Dean.

Me, Candace, and Erica...a few of the spouses.

Richie, Ben, and Bobby....some great lifelong friends.

Just before the ceremony....Ben getting all ready!

Welcome to Sint Maarten, N.A.

2011-05-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

We MADE IT!!! We had lots of hours in airports and on planes

flying in those tight, cramped quarters, but we made it!

Oh I might add the ENTIRE red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Miami

I could see lightning flashing every second....especially as we went over Texas...

yep, I was scared and didn't get ANY sleep while Ben snoozed against the window.

Here is the view from our balcony at the Simpson Bay Villa's.

It's got a great view!! We are LOVING every minute!

We went to the sunset beach bar last night for dinner

and to watch the last 747 of the night land.

We made it to the Taco Truck with Richie, Candace, and Brandon.

The view of the pool from our room.

Here we are in the Miami Airport on our way....we were super-duper tired, but thought the fish art on the wall was pretty sweet!

Graduation is tomorrow! More picts to come!

Las Vegas temple trip to see the Baker family's sealing

2011-05-27T14:33:00.001-07:00

It was a wonderful day for the Jason/Heidi Baker family!!! We got to

go to the Las Vegas temple and be with them as little Bristol was sealed to their family.

Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day!

These pictures are out of whack, but afterwards we went to Famous Dave's BBQ for an awesome dinner :) We took up a few tables with the whole crowd, but for some reason the other pictures didn't turn out. So here is one table.

Grandma Campbell with the grandkiddo's!

Grumpa and Grandma Baker

Brenda and Joel

Adam and Martha

Ben showing some leg so we'd pick him up in the van.

The temple cafeteria makes some delicious and ginormous cinnamon rolls!

Waiting outside the temple.

Adam and Martha

Brenda and Joel

Jill and Ben

Brad and Katrine (the drivers of the van)

ROAD TRIP!!! Mom and dad

The back two seats :) Super fun!

We had a great trip down and back in the Baker van!

Princess Sadee's birthday

2011-05-27T14:10:00.001-07:00

Princess Sadee had an awesome birthday party a couple weeks ago and both

girls were invited to come and celebrate. They counted the days down to their princess party for over a week. They were SOOO excited to dress up and party!

Here are Princess Sadee and Princess Holdyn

Opening presents!

Decorating cupcakes...of course Kimber just ate tons of frosting and

the 'sparklers' as she calls the sprinkles.

Princess Emmie painting her nails

Here are a few princesses gathered for a photo

Princesses Kimber, Sadee, and Holdyn

Thanks for inviting them Sadee....they really had a super great time!

Happy Birthday Grandma Baker

2011-05-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late on this but Grandma Baker had a birthday this month and we all had a blast at her party!! We all helped to decorate her house so that the party was ready when she got

home from work! It was GREAT!!!!

The girls LOVE to go to Grandma and Grumpa Baker's because they

have the FUNNEST backyard in the whole world!

We couldn't have a true Baker Birthday party without buttering the birthday girls nose!

Brenda made an AWESOME BTS Cake! DELISH!

Partying it up in the backyard!

Kimber gave grandma her jar full of lady bugs for her birthday.

There were about 35-40 lady bugs that she put on grandma's roses to help

eat the little bugs. She was so super excited to share her ladybugs with grandma :)

Hope you had a super-duper happy birthday Grandma Baker! We LOVE You!!

Couples Retreat in Pine Valley

2011-05-17T23:18:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful opportunity to get away for a couple of nights with some

amazing friends!! We've been wanting to get together for a long time and we

finally made it happen....thanks to Andee!

Here is the group.

Kandice/Dave, Jill/Ben, Kate/Erick, Andee/Lars, Whitni/Jared

Andee showed us her sweet skills at stuffing mallows in her mouth.

Here is Lars glassing for wildlife....Jared is also quite the turkey caller ;)

Jared, Ben, and Dave roasting hot dogs.

Kandice showing her true self! LOVE this girl!

Lars cooking up some delish venison burger.

Andee strutting her stuff.

We did lots of relaxing and chatting...here are whit and me in the hammock.

Me, Kandice and Kate

A few of us went shooting... the AR-15...super fun!

Me plinking the targets with my .17

Andee and Lars.....I wouldn't mess with them!

We all went to the lake and had some great fun catching a few

lil trout.

Ben and I took a walk downstream and did some flyfishing....great fun!

Here are all the couples....Andee and Lars....

Ben and Jill

Whitni and Jared

Kate and Erick

Dave and Kandice

The guys also tore up the mountain on the 4-wheelers and dirt bikes.

These pictures are all out of whack, but it sure was a great weekend!

We don't know how many more times we will get to hang out with Whitni while she is feeling okay. We are trying to take advantage of every chance we get. Thanks Andee and Lars for the use of the Cabin... it was a FABULOUS weekend!

Holdyn's Preschool Graduation!

2011-05-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

I had to find a picture of her first day of preschool (Above) to compare with

her last day (Below). What a cutie pie!

Holdyn did it! She is an honorary Preschool graduate from

the infamous Crazy Grandma's Preschool!!

I just liked this picture in front of the house, the sun was in her eyes and she kept giggling that she couldn't open them!

Here are the graduates (Except Dominique...he wasn't in town for Graduation)

MaKayla, Holdyn, Emma and Tyler. They will all start Kindergarten

in Fredonia this fall!

Here is Holdyn accepting her honorary awards and diploma from

Crazy Grandma herself!

Holdyn and Tyler became good friends during preschool!

Thanks Crazy Grandma for doing such a wonderful job!

Chickens, chickens, chickens!!!

2011-05-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Yep, we've started our farm. We now have 7 chickens....3 of which are layers...and the girls LOVE getting the eggs!

Here is the coop that Ben whipped up the other afternoon...what a handyman!

The hens lay their eggs up in the top left corner...there are doors on each side so we can grab the eggs from behind and the chickens can get in and out the other side.

There they are....3 hens named, Brownie, Stripes, and the black one is Pumpkin, the others have yet to be named.

Here are the girls rounding them up. So far we are loving them and having lots of fun with them.

Great Strides 2011

2011-05-01T22:44:00.001-07:00

We had an AWESOME time at the Great Strides walk in Washington!

Thanks to all who were able to come and thank you to all of those who

supported us in other ways!!

We really appreciate it!

After the walk we went to Grandma and Grumpa Baker's house and played in the backyard.

Here is the star of the day miss Kimber Anne herself!

Thanks to the hosts of the weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Baker!

The amazing Moreno's from Bakersfield, CA were able

to come walk with us! We walked in the Great Strides walk in

Bakersfield last year with them before we knew Kimber had CF.

LOVE these guys!

Here are some of the kids working on crafts after the walk...thank you

Home Depot!

Holdyn and Sadie!

It was a super duper fun day! Thanks again to all those who continue to support our family!!! We LOVE YOU!!

Easter with the Baker Family!

2011-04-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to hit both family parties for Easter Weekend and we had a Blast the entire time!

Thanks to daddy, the girls both got 2 chicks for part of their Easter....

They LOVE them!

Cutsie Easter Outfits! Grandpa Baker got to speak in church

so we got to go and listen!

Holdyn loving the calidescope!

No Easter is complete without the chocolate bunny!

Thanks Martha for lending Holdyn the cutsie Easter basket!

Two cutsie girls (Holdyn and Adri) showing their loot!

Brenda and Martha also got to celebrate their birthdays!

Happy Birthday Gals!

Holdyn can't get enough watermelon!

All the grandkids lined up....with Olivia on the run. Quite the kids.

The oldest is 13 and the youngest is 6 months...with 26 all together!

Thanks for hoppin in the picture Adam, it is TOTALLY better with you in it!

Happy Easter Ya'LL!!!!

Cluff Family Easter Campout

2011-04-27T21:52:00.001-07:00

McKayla, Rusty the dog, Holdyn and Kimber

Sippin on some hot chocolate by the fire!

Ben and Grandma Crazy.

Family shot on the edge of the Paria.

Kimber finding her eggs!

Holdyn the super-egg hunter!!

Lining up for the big hunt!

A camping favorite, playing in the dirt!

We wanted shade but couldn't figure out how to anchor the tarp,

Ben did a good job until his arm got tired :)

The girls love going for rides on the four-wheeler with Grandpa.

Holdyn and Nolan gathering firewood.

Putting the final touches on her eggs.

Just chillaxin!

Kimber LOOOOVES camping!

We are so thankful to have our trailor and generator so Kimber can still

do her treatments faithfully! It is really nice!

Ben, up with the sun making breakfast! He ROCKS!

Holdyn's First T-Ball Game!!

2011-04-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Holdyn and her cousins did a super great job at their T-Ball game today!!!

As you can see half the team is made up of Cluff's.

L to R Holdyn, Shayla, McKayla, and Emma.

Go get'em Girls!

Holdyn up to bat! She LOVES

hitting the ball....but she also loves to watch her hit and

it takes a few minutes to get her on the run to 1st base.

It is a good thing she is a super speedy runner :)

She had a super fun time and she keeps asking about

when her next game will be!

A great weekend!!

2011-04-10T14:05:00.001-07:00

General Conference weekend was a great one for many reasons!

It was my nephew, Tyler's, 12th Birthday on April 1st.

We went to his birthday/swim party at their house.

The next night Tyler, Brad, Joel, and Ben went to the

Priesthood session and Brenda and I took all the kids to

decorate their mother's grave. It is hard to believe Sara has been

gone a year. She is deeply missed!

She passed away General Conference/Easter/Tyler's birthday weekend.

It was nice to spend time with the kids and go visit her grave.

I didn't get as many pictures at the party as I should have, but

here is what we got

Luke and Mason Andrus.

Here is Sara's headstone after the kids got to it.

Love Luke's helmet ;)

Here are all the hooligans!

Here are Avrie, Kyle, Katelyn, and Annie.....we missed Tyler, but he had

a good time at his first Priesthood session.

Here is Olivia, helping with the decorations.

Courtney, being her silly-self.

Holdyn went nuts taking pictures with the camera.

Above is Annie and Kyle. Below is Megan and Annie.

Brooklyn

Courtney

LOVE these pictures of Emma...relaxin by the pool with Katelyn.

Ben, Kimber and Holdyn enjoying the pool party!

Ben made pizza's on the grill, but this grill got so hot it shattered the pizza stone.

As long as there are cheetos, my girls are happy!

It was a great weekend with lots of fun memories.

Fishing with the girls!

2011-04-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

The girls have been BEGGING for daddy to take them fishing since he got home. We finally decided to stop waiting for the weather to be good, and we just went! It turned out super fun! We only fished for an hour or so and they each caught a fish.

Then we headed home because the storm clouds and wind started rolling in.

It was super fun! We are so glad to have Ben/Daddy back!!!

Outside Fun

2011-03-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Big slippers

2011-03-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Holdyn the swimmer

2011-03-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is mainly for Ben, but everyone else can enjoy too. Holdyn was so funny at Brad's pool. It didn't matter if she was the only one in the pool, she still made every minute count. She did this 'put goggles on- jump in pool- take goggles off-swim to side- and walk/jog back up to the top step- put the goggles back on to jump in' about a hundred times. Cute little stinker! We've got to get her swimming more so she can learn to do it without the life jacket.

UPDATE: Kimber did much better today, I ended up going into work leaving 4 phone numbers for my mother in law to call if she needed me. Kimber slept great last night without much wheezing/gagging/coughing and is down again for tonight. She is having less and less of her coughing spells where she stops breathing, THANKFULLY!

Holdyn is doing much better too, she is the one getting jipped.....It is hard to give both girls the attention they need by myself, luckily we just have 8 more days till daddy comes home! Holdyn was playing and came running up to me in tears the other day and said, "Mommy, do you remember my daddy that died, I sure miss him!" I tried to reassure her that daddy was just in Texas and we could talk to him on the computer. She told me she didn't like daddy in the computer she wanted him in our house! How sad is that! Poor little girls! They are just wondering what is going on in their hectic little lives. Seven weeks is way to long to be without a daddy AND husband!

Calling it a "Sick Day"

2011-03-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

We've had a rough weekend. Poor Holdyn has had a bad cough for a couple of weeks and on Friday it hit Kimber. We immediately contacted the Phoenix Children's pulm and she got us on an antibiotic right away. Well, Friday night was awful, she'd wake up with a jolt every half hour trying to cough and gasping for breath. Scared me to death! She had a fever and being the super prepared mom I am, I brought all of her bazillion medications but didn't have any tylenol... so at 2 am off to the 24 hour Wal Mart I went. Her fever went down and she finally was able to sleep a couple of hours after 3:30am. Saturday came and went, she was running around so I thought she was on over the worst. Well, next night, she slept better but still had very raspy breathing and a horrible sounding/barking cough. We packed up and started the drive home (to Fredonia, AZ) and I had to stop three times to calm her down, she kept coughing and losing her breath and gagging.....again, scared me to death!

We spent a few hours in the Kanab ER last night with them monitoring her and they took a chest X ray. The good news is it wasn't in her lungs, the bad news is there isn't much else we can do for her but wait it out and keep doing her regular treatments. If she does get worse, they recommend we go to a CF center, AKA Phoenix....aarg! We are praying she gets feeling better soon!! We will definitely be living closer to a CF center when we decide on a place to call "HOME." Why is it that life never turns out the way you plan. I'm almost ready to stop making plans and focus more on holding on tight during the ride.... especially when it gets super bumpy.

Kimber's Appt. in Phoenix

2011-03-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

We made our monthly quick trip to Phoenix for Kimber's Cystic Fibrosis Appt. This one went really well. Grandma and Grumpa Baker were gracious enough to take us down and back.

We had some time to kill so we went to one of our favorite places, Bass Pro-shop.

It is always nice to have someone help with Kimber's treatments....She loves Grandma Baker and Grandma is always great to sit with her and keep her entertained during the time on the vest.

This poor gal is plumb tuckered out! You can't tell but her vest is still going, shaking and squeezing her to keep the mucus moving and her lungs clear. Cute little stinker.

On a side note, Holdyn has had a bad cough the last two weeks and we are doing our best to get her over it and keep Kimber from getting it. Yesterday morning, Kimber woke up with it and has been up and down since. Luckily, the on-call Pulmanologist from Phx Children's is super helpful! I HATE having sick kids, especially one that can be hospitalized at a moments notice...this CF curse stinks! She's on another med/antibiotic so hopefully she gets back to herself soon!! It scares me to listen to her struggle to breathe, especially at night!

Some kick back fun in the sun

2011-03-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

We are trying to keep busy counting the weeks down while Ben is gone. This last weekend we spent a lot of time relaxing at Grandma and Grumpa Baker's house. Alli was a super star helping Kimber with her vest treatments. When there are lots of kids running around it is hard to capture Kimber and sit her down for her 30 minute treatments. Luckily, Alli was there to play with her so she didn't feel like she was missing out on all the fun.

It was a beautiful Saturday and we spent most of the day outside enjoying it!

Of course, it wouldn't have been complete without bubbles!

You can see, I am totally relaxed with my feet up, taking the pictures.

Kimber also spends lots of time in her 'dress up's' This is one of my favorites because she puts the zipper in the front so she can get it on and off. LOVE this girl :)

First swim of the season!

2011-03-19T16:54:00.001-07:00

We happened to be in St. George the weekend Brad and Katrine' finished and heated their swimming pool. We can't wait to go back when it is a bit warmer ;)

Holdyn was quite the little fish, she was jumping in off the highest step and swimming like crazy! She did NOT want to leave when the time came.

Here is Adri eating some of the delish pizza!

We made smores in the fire as the night went on. YUM!

The sports fans sat in the hot tub and watched the basketball game.

Here are some of the kids getting warm.

Cute Katelyn and her friend Ellie

Kimber LOVES grandma and Logan.

Getting warm by the other fireplace.

Holdyn and Courtney were quite the lap buddies. They stayed right with each other swimming around the pool.

Annie took care of Kimber :) Thanks ANNIE!

Super fun and can't wait to swim again!

Whitni Nisson Reese's Benefit Concert @ PVHS

2011-03-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

We had another great experience with Whitni! Jessie Funk came to St. George and was the celebrity at the Benefit Concert. She was AWESOME! She was so fun and just an all around great performer! Here are some of the pictures and memories from the evening.

Here is Whitni and Jared (With Andee's beautiful face peeking in between them).

I just love these guys!

Here we are with Jessie (Whitni, Kandice, Jill, Jessie, Andee, Kate)

As soon as Jessie came out on stage Andee and I said to eachother, "She needs to be our friend." So After the concert, I had a CD for her to sign, and I got to meet her and she says to me, "Jill, I think we were meant to be friends." HA, it was great! We had a lot of audience participation with the raffle, etc, and I got to go up with her. She was really so much fun!

After the concert (these picts are out of order) we went to eat with the gang at Red Robin...YUM! You'll notice that Andee and I were together....she was my date since Lars had to work and Ben is in Houston for 4 more weeks.

Emmie's babysitter had to go home so She got to come along to enjoy the Red Robin Fun, check out that perfect ice cream, sprinkles and all!

Here we are at PVHS, Kandice, Whitni, Andee, Kate, and me.

Me and my date Andee.

Dave and Kandice won all sorts of great things from the Raffle...LUCKIES!

Kate and Erick showed up fashionably late coming straight to the concert from SLC. Good thing they had a seat saved by yours truly on the front row in the center.

It is sad that it takes something like Whitni's cancer to get us all together on a regular basis.

We are still praying for a miracle for Whitni, she and Jared are amazing!

An AMAZING weekend!

2011-02-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

Last night Hillary Weeks (A very popular LDS musician) came to town and did a private concert for Whitni Reese's family and close friends. It was certainly AMAZING! She is so funny and personable. There was a really small group in the Old Relief Society house in Washington, UT. She spent two hours talking and singing and playing some of her songs.

(Kandice Cluff, Jill Cluff, Whitni Reese, Kate Bair, and Hillary Weeks)

We laughed, we cried, and a few of us had the opportunity to share thoughts and feelings and our testimonies. It really was a fantastic night. I'm so glad she took the time to come. Whitni told of her experience of having a blessing from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It was definitely a night I will NEVER forget!

Me and the girls also spent some time at Grumpa and Grandma's house and in the hot tub. It was perfect since it has been cold and rainy since we got here! I also took advantage of the babysitter (my parents) and went to Massage Envy and cashed in on an hour massage that Ben gave me. It was just what I needed. It has really been a relaxing and spiritually uplifting couple of days!

President's Day Weekend

2011-02-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it snowed and snowed in Fredonia! Serena and her family came down but I didn't get any good pictures to share. We had a great time and mostly stayed inside out of the cold weather and played a few rounds of some intense Rook.

Here are the Three Musketeers, Emma, McKayla, and Holdyn.

Here is our dog that I currently can't stand. I know she is just a puppy, but for crying out loud! She was doing pretty good when Ben was around and working with her, but I don't spend any time playing with her and she has loads of energy that she takes out on everything around....oh how I miss Bella! I keep hoping little Daisy will grow out of this puppy stage FAST!

Grumpa's birthday Party

2011-02-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

My dad is lucky enough to have his birthday on Valentine's Day....just ask him how lucky he is :)

Anywho, here are a few pictures of a couple of "valentine couples" I snapped at the birthday party!

Cute mom and dad.

Brenda and Joel.

Mindy and Spencer

Brad and Katrine.

Since Ben is gone :( I didn't have my Valentine with me this year.

Here is Grumpa at his Birthday party with all of the party animals!! Happy Birthday and Valentine's Day Grumpa Baker!

Daddy goes to Houston Texas!

2011-02-26T19:50:00.001-08:00

Here is one last snuggle with daddy before he took off on the two day drive to Houston, TX! He's been gone two weeks and we've got 5 more to go! We love you and miss you Daddy!!!!

"Together" Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Utah/Idaho Chapter

2011-02-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a video from the CF foundation, watch for a picture of Holdyn helping Kimber with her treatment. I just got this in an email from the CFF and watched it for the first time with the girlio's. They were both so excited to see the other kids that have vests, and doing their treatments. They'd shout out, "His vest is blue!" They were so excited to see that other kids have to go through the same thing that little Kimber does....oh PS, I bawled my eyes out!

Girls Night

2011-01-29T20:44:00.000-08:00

A few of us were able to get together for an emotional girls' night. We talked, we laughed, and we mostly cried. I wouldn't have missed it for anything! Whitni is fighting the battle with Cancer and the outlook isn't great. Whit is teaching us a lot and being the strong one for everyone else. She is truly an inspiring friend. We've had some great talks and I'm thankful that we have the Gospel of Christ to give us a bigger picture. She and Jared have a rough road ahead. I know when I lost my husband they were all there for me, I hope I've learned things to help me know how I can be there for them!

Whitni, Shanell, Andee, and me

Shanell spoiled us all with pedicures.

We enjoyed Cafe' Rio

It really was an awesome night full of emotions. Thanks girls! We must do it again SOON!

Brad and Katrine's family visit Fredonia!

2011-01-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

We had a super fun day in Fredonia with Brad's family! We made Pizza's on the grill and went horse riding. The kids and adults had a great time at the park too!

Olivia and Annie

Avrie and Holdylocks

Kyle the trick rider! He could steer Sosie with no hands.

Brad wasn't too bad either :)

Avrie above and Annie down below.

Katelyn showing us how it is done!

Katrine, Kimber, Brad, Katelyn and Olivia having a ball on the seesaw!

GREAT STRIDES

2011-01-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

Okay Kimber Anne's Fans! It is time for the Great Strides walk to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis!! This year our team will be walking on April 30 @ 9am at Coral Canyon Elementary School. Everyone is welcome to come to the walk with us! If you can't make it you can donate on our team's website

http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/JillCluff

THANKS to all of our friends and family for the continued support!!!!

2010 in Review

2011-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

What a year it has been. I'm getting ready to publish my 2010 book and wanted to share a few thoughts to wrap up the year.

We started off 2010 in Bakersfield, CA. Ben was in the middle of his clinical rotations at Kern County Medical Center. Things started off pretty quietly, until February hit. My Sister in Law Sara Campbell Baker found out she had a brain tumor. The doctors assured that it was benign and that it could be removed and she should be just fine. Her first surgery was thought to be successful, but Heavenly Father had another plan for sweet Sara, and during a 2nd Surgery Sara slipped out of this world and back into Heavenly Father's arms. It happened on Easter weekend, and the true meaning of Easter and our Savior's Resurrection was felt and gave us comfort. I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks with Brad and the kids....moments I will treasure forever!

We also lost Ben's grandmother Mary Carr in March of 2010.

As I look back, March also held a glimpse of Kimber's future. We joined with some friends from church to do the Great Strides Walk in Bakersfield. It is a walk for Cystic Fibrosis, the disease that took my first husband, Charlton's life. It is a disease that for some reason has decided to haunt me in this life! Little did we know, that we were walking with our own little CF'fer!

We loved our time in Bakersfield, and made friends to last a lifetime! Holdyn misses her friends from Preschool, Charlotte, Keilan, and Roegan, but is excited to be in Crazy Grandma's preschool here in Fredonia. Late July we moved from Bakersfield as Ben's rotations there came to an end. With a couple months off and only 8 weeks left as a Medical Student, we headed to Fredonia, AZ. July and August brought lots of family camp outs and fishing trips. We loved spending time as a family as Ben studied, took the USMLE tests, and we all played!

During this time we decided to get us all in for check-ups. Kimber was still having her issues and the Dr's thought it was still a milk allergy. We'd been convinced otherwise as her parents and asked if we could have her tested for Cystic Fibrosis.... Ben knew enough from being a Med student and I knew enough from Charlton that we were beginning to see signs. The Dr. agreed and ordered the test. The results were undoubtedly POSITIVE for Cystic Fibrosis. We were immediately admitted for a 2 week stay at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City. It was interesting to see and meet Doctors and RT's that remembered treating Charlton when he was young. His family also came to visit often and were a great support! We were overwhelmed with love, packages, and visits from friends, family, and even some strangers. Now we are making monthly visits to the Phoenix Children's Hospital (our insurance won't cover us if we go to PCMC) and trying to make the best of it. With our new life as a family with Cystic Fibrosis, we now have to schedule things around Kimber's daily treatments and make sure we make every minute count!

While Kimber was in PCMC Ben went to Bakersfield and Roswell for a total of 8 weeks to finish up his 4th year of Medical School! He is currently DONE and we are waiting for his test results. Then comes the Match! We will see where we are going to end up for Residency in a few short months! I'm so proud and grateful for all that Ben has accomplished. He is amazing! He will also be the first to tell you he didn't make it through alone, he had a lot of help from above, and for that we are eternally thankful!

Around this same time we were informed that Charlton's mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She is currently being a strong warrior in her fight as she continues treatment!

I've been blessed with a great job opportunity to use my Sign-Language! I was interpreting for a deaf student at Kanab High School. She has moved to St. George, and the doors opened again with a student who can hear, but doesn't speak. So I am working with him at Kanab High School and we are signing up a storm! I've also been blessed with the opportunity to teach an ASL Class for the High School Students. Both are well paying jobs we are fortunate to have!

We had a great Holiday season with our wonderful families! However, another bad news moment hit around Christmas. One of my very best friends since childhood was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. Whitni Nisson Reese has started Chemo and is still awaiting answers as to what type of cancer it is. It is rapidly progressing and we've spent lots of sleepless nights thinking and praying for her! We are praying for the best, as there are still lots of unanswered questions! She has always been a fighter and this is no different, she has a lot of support!! We love you Whitters!

I'd say from this last year the main thing I've witnessed and learned is to look for the positive! We've been slammed with different tragedies, yet during it all, I've seen an overwhelming amount of blessings! There are so many Christ-like people around who jumped up to take action. I feel humbled to have witnessed it and felt of love from friends, family, and even complete strangers. I hope I can be more like some people I saw, jump at the opportunity to serve, support, and love those who are fighting overwhelming battles!

Happy New Year-Baker style!!!

2011-01-02T21:30:00.001-08:00

We had a great party on New Year's Eve with the Baker hooligans! Above is the picture of our whole gang. (Thanks to the photographers, Rachel and Cody)

We also had some of our most FAVORITEST friends come to visit for a few days and we drug them along with us to the festivities.

Here is a shot of Cody with some of the kiddo's. We first met he and Rachel on the island of St. Maarten while Ben was attending MD school. Cody is also a Medical Student getting ready for the Match this year. They helped us out so much on the island while I was pregnant and when we had Kimber. Anyway, we were super duper happy they came to visit!

We had some AWESOME games to play and here is Adam shaking his bootie to get the bells out of the box. Below is Martha cheering him on.

Have you ever tried to get a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands? It looks a little like this demonstration from Tyler and Avrie.

Here is Rachel, Annie, and me laughing at everyone making fools of themselves :)

We hardly saw Holdyn. She was running around playing and hiding with her cousins. It was a super fan-tabulous evening of good food, friends, family and FUN!!!

Daisy joins the family

2011-01-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

We made a quick trip to Veyo, UT to get us a new boarder collie puppy. The girls love her to pieces and named her Daisy.

There were quite a few puppies to choose from and we picked the cutest, rollie-poliest one, and she fits in great!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome week before Christmas! We spent some time over at Grandma Baker's and helped her with her Christmas Gifts for the neighbors. The girls also made some beaded candy canes for the tree in their room.

Christmas Eve was spent with the Cluff family. Grandma read the story of Santa Mouse followed by Grandpa reading from Luke 2 about the birth of our Savior.

Christmas morning started about 6am. I heard something down stairs and ran to see if the girls were awake. I peeked in their room and saw both girls in bed. As I looked closer Holdyn had a HUGE smile on her face and whispered to me, "MOM, Santa brought a fish tank!!!" She'd snuck out to get her a drink and saw the loot, then went back to bed, what a cutie pie!!

Then we went to Grandma Baker's. The girls ran over to the Nativity decoration they have in their front yard.... they joined right in. I thought this was a cute shot of them kneeling in front of baby Jesus.

Kimber won't leave Grandma Baker's side whenever she is around. Kimber helped Grandma get lunch ready.

The girls loved having their new Christmas Jammies on all day :)

It was nice enough in St. George to play outside and hardly needed a jacket.

Here is Kimber, again, joined to Grandma's lap. We love to listen to Grandma Baker play Christmas music on the piano.....she rocks!

The girls were BEAT! They slept the whole way back to Fredonia.

A few days after Christmas the snow began to fall, and kept falling, then it got really cold and turned to ice. We haven't been above freezing in DAYS!

Here is Kimber all dressed up to go play in the snow!

Kate and Erick's wedding

2011-01-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

A few days before Christmas, one of my greatest friends tied the knot!

It was a very happy day for them!

It was fun to see old friends too! Above is Devan and Shanell Stapley.

Below: Kandice and Dave Cluff.

Here are Whitni and Jared. Whitni was informed just a few days before this that she had a mass on her ovaries and nodules on both lungs and liver....not a great sign. The Monday after the wedding she went to the Huntsman Cancer Center in SLC for more testing and was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. This news sickened all of us! She began her first Chemo treatment today, Sunday January 2, 2011. We are all praying that she and Jared come out victorious in this fight against cancer!

Here is Kandice, Whitni, Shanell, Tiffany, Me, and Andee, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Here's one last shout out to Whitni! We love you Whitters!!!!

Also, a Big Congrats to Kate and Erick on starting their life together!!

Bella

2010-12-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

We had to say good bye to our dog, Bella today. She has the strange habit of swollowing rocks...she's been sick before, but this time she couldn't pass it. She's been the best dog! The girls absolutely LOVE her, especially Holdyn! We didn't do much without taking Bella with us. She will truly be missed!!!

Holdyn's fishing buddy!

The kids could pull her ears, sit on her, and torture her like crazy and she would never growl or snip at them....she loved the attention.

Bella LOVED the water and was a great swimmer!

She was also the BEST at catching frisbees!

Holdyn could put her in a headlock and wrestle her, they both loved it!

We will miss you Bella!!!